Guerrilla Webfare
An underground, student-run blog at Lipscomb features the good, the bad and the underdressed
By Matt Pulle
Most people don’t think of Lipscomb University as a bastion of subversive activity, but the Church of Christ college has a no-holds-barred underground Web site that’s run and visited by students. Titled plainly, Lipscomb Underground (limpscombunderground.tripod.com), the site is like one big blog that takes shots at administrators, athletes and co-eds who dress (relatively) provocatively. It’s fun at the same time that it provides an enlightening glimpse into student life at a devoutly Christian college.
Updated every few weeks, the site features posts from students—and occasionally alumni—that are loosely edited by Jeremy Howard, an upperclassman from Old Hickory. Some of the comments read like they could apply to any university anywhere. Students complain about incompetent administrators, the social scene and student government. Other gripes, however, seem otherworldly to anyone who attended Vanderbilt, UT or even Belmont. For example, one student complained about a girl whose skirt showed her ankles, a sight that impeded his concentration. This sparked a rebuttal in a later edition from a female student, who, judging by some of the posts on this topic, might as well be David Lipscomb’s answer to Betty Friedan.
“If men can’t keep their eyeballs where they belong, it isn’t us girls’ problem,” she bemoaned. “I realize there are some girls that do dress totally hoochie-mamma, but I haven’t seen any this whole semester. What is the deal, dude? Do we have to dress in full nun-habit for you to keep your hormones under control?”
But there are also more hard-boiled conversations.
A few other students, for example, complained that the university’s hiring practices are “ruthlessly sectarian,” discouraging many bright Christians belonging to other denominations from applying for faculty positions. One person claimed that when evaluating prospective candidates for those positions, administrators “check the attendance record at whichever Church of Christ they attend.” About which this person comments: “Church is not the be all, end all of salvation. Do you really think that when you get to Heaven’s gates, God is going to look at you and say, 'You kept my commandments, you were a great person and did all that I said, but you only made it to church 499 times, and that means you just missed being a part of the 500 club, and I am sorry but I can’t let you in?’”
Not a bad point.
The site also hosts a running debate about whether musical instruments are appropriate for worship services. Meanwhile, others have questioned whether the university showers too much attention on athletes at the expense of the school’s Christian mission.
“I know that most of you here come to Chapel because you have to, but I actually go because I enjoy having 'Community God Time’ on a daily basis,” one student writes. “However, the past three weeks have not exactly been God-filled because we seem to spend the first fifteen minutes of every day worshipping the basketball team with the athletic department’s shameless plugs and videos. I like sports as much as the next person, but I do not appreciate taking time out of worship to show just how wonderful our basketball teams are.”
While there is a prevailing perception of Lipscomb as a painfully strict, even repressive school—the university requires Bible study and chapel attendance—Lipscomb Underground casts the students in a more universal light. While there is certainly some closed-minded blather posted on the site, students are more often intelligently debating important issues of faith, questioning the Bush administration and examining ways to make the university stronger. For the most part, they are hardly the unthinking, obedient Christian flock that others might have them pegged for. And to its credit, Lipscomb’s higher-ups take a refreshing view of the site.
“The few times I’ve looked at it, it seems like there is a very healthy back and forth,” says David England, a school spokesman.
Mostly, the site speaks well for Lipscomb, showcasing students who have curious minds, strong values and, more often than not, a solid sense of humor.
“My main purpose is to facilitate discussion,” says Howard the host, who has definitely accomplished his goal. “We post whatever comes through. I will only filter out what’s on George Carlin’s list or posts that really degrade an individual or group on campus.”
“My main purpose is to facilitate discussion,” says Howard the host, who has definitely accomplished his goal. “We post whatever comes through. I will only filter out what’s on George Carlin’s list or posts that really degrade an individual or group on campus.”
